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Thread: Blue porch lights: "Light Ohio Blue"

  1. #1
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    Blue porch lights: "Light Ohio Blue"

    I did a quick search and didn't find this particular piece, so.....I'm sure that I'm among the many here who have been reading Greg Ellifritz' blogs for years. He has given me so many "aha moments," not to mention the ongoing education he provides in so many areas.

    It's a sad commentary that Greg's writing is spot on.






    🎉 Greg Ellifritz just shared "Blue Porch Lights" for patrons only.

    Yesterday was the beginning of police memorial week. It's a week designated to honor currently serving and deceased police officers. Residents in many communities are choosing to celebrate police week by replacing their external light bulbs with bulbs that are blue colored instead. In my state the effort is organized by an organization called "Light Ohio Blue."



    According to their site:

    "Light Ohio Blue is a statewide campaign to show support to the law enforcement personnel who protect our communities throughout our great state. We work to honor and pay respects to the law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty as well as those currently serving sworn and civilian staff.

    Each year in May our staff works with several Ohio businesses to light the city skylines blue. We also encourage every citizen to change their home exterior lights to blue to show their support for Law Enforcement personnel."



    As a retired cop, I appreciate the support. I also think it's a dangerous idea. You are broadcasting valuable information whenever you engage in a campaign like this. Some of the people who obtain said information will use it against you.



    You are thinking like a law abiding citizen thinks. I need you to stop that and take a moment to think like a criminal instead. What information would the presence of a blue porch light provide?



    Think about who may do this blue light thing. It will be cops, their loved ones, and people of a "law and order" political identity. How would a criminal use that info?



    - The easiest and most likely use is for burglary. Almost all the houses with blue lights will have guns and money. Very few people who are actually poor will change their light bulbs as blue colored light bulbs cost more than the regular variety. If you have the time and disposable income to celebrate an occasion by purchasing a novelty light bulb, you probably have some valuables in the house. They'll wait for you to leave and then steal your stuff.



    - Some people simply hate cops. Your outdoor property may be damaged or defaced just because the criminals want to hassle "the man." In the worst case scenario, there is a possibility that our current street gangs will get larger and more organized. Once they figure out that your family member is a cop, you may be a target for violent reprisals or kidnapping. Look at what is going on in both Mexico and Venezuela. Killers are assassinating cops where the cop lives, rather than where he is working.



    If you want to kill a cop, it's a lot harder when he is on duty, armed, wearing body armor, and has instantaneous communication with hundreds of others who also have a bunch of guns and body armor. It's much easier to kill a cop at his home where he is relaxed and may not even be carrying a pistol.



    - Remember the ongoing violent left/right political activism that we've been seeing for a couple years? What about the ANTIFA confrontations going on around the country? If you identify with the police, in ANTIFA's eyes, you are a "fascist." Do you really want a bunch of masked nut jobs tearing up your stuff or beating your family members because you support your local police officers? I don't think that is a risk that is worth taking.



    Thank you for the sentiments, but please don't bathe your house in blue lights this week. If you want to support your police force, work to ensure your local government doesn't put politics before officer safety. Work to ensure that your police department has invested in the process of selecting high quality police officer candidates and then is able to immediately dismiss those who demonstrate they are unsuited for the job. Ensure that all your officers have the best training available and that the department provides them with decent equipment so that they can actually do their jobs.



    In this former cop's mind, the suggestions above are far more meaningful than screwing a blue light bulb into the receptacle on your front porch. Don't put yourself or your family in danger by openly aligning with a group that some folks consider to be the "enemy." Be smart. The blue porch light is a "gray man" fail. The risks far outweigh the benefits.




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    "We are the domestic pets of a human zoo we call civilization."

    Laurence Gonzales - "Deep Survival."

  2. #2
    Hoplophilic doc SAWBONES's Avatar
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    Unfortunately true.
    "Therefore, since the world has still... Much good, but much less good than ill,
    And while the sun and moon endure, Luck's a chance, but trouble's sure,
    I'd face it as a wise man would, And train for ill and not for good." -- A.E. Housman

  3. #3
    Member orionz06's Avatar
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    Not into any form of lawn/house virtue signaling. I can see why folks might be into it, but there just don't seem to be any positives to outweigh all of the negatives.
    Think for yourself. Question authority.

  4. #4
    Chasing the Horizon RJ's Avatar
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    Jan 2014
    Sad times, indeed.

    And I agree with Greg's point entirely; it just is not a smart thing to put on a blue light on one's porch these days. And I've done it many times in the past.

  5. #5
    Next time you see an officer in a restaurant, offer to buy their lunch.

    As you pass them on the street, thank them for their service.

    Give them a friendly wave as you go by.
    "Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master"

  6. #6
    Site Supporter SeriousStudent's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trigger View Post
    Next time you see an officer in a restaurant, offer to buy their lunch.

    As you pass them on the street, thank them for their service.

    Give them a friendly wave as you go by.
    I just buy their lunch, and they never know I did it.

  7. #7
    Site Supporter Totem Polar's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SeriousStudent View Post
    I just buy their lunch, and they never know I did it.
    I don’t eat lunch out, but I’m in a lot of coffeeshops, and I’ve picked up a decent number of 16 oz drips for the locals under the table. Concur. Also, if you don’t ask first, they can’t tell you that they’re not allowed to accept the gift.




    As to the blue light thing, Greg is spot on, again, sadly.

    It’s now at the point where illegally blocking roadways by force of numbers and arms, both, is kosher, but a fucking colored light bulb in the lamp on your own front porch is cause for doxxing, vandalism, and in some cases, firing/career damage.

    That’s all kinds of fucked up, if one stops to think about it.
    ”But in the end all of these ideas just manufacture new criminals when the problem isn't a lack of criminals.” -JRB

  8. #8
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    I don't think it's a good idea to broadcast your support of law enforcement, or your gun ownership, or your political beliefs to strangers.

    There are a lot of crazies out there, and you don't want to give a common street criminal the idea that your vehicle or your house might be a good target for burglary.

    John Farnam has been writing for years about the benefits of having a low public profile.

  9. #9
    Site Supporter Irelander's Avatar
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    I agree with Greg 100%.

    How does one ensure their local or state police have good hiring practices, excellent training and equipment?
    Jesus paid a debt he did not owe,
    Because I owed a debt I could not pay.

  10. #10
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    [QUOTE=Totem Polar]


    As to the blue light thing, Greg is spot on, again, sadly.

    It’s now at the point where illegally blocking roadways by force of numbers and arms, both, is kosher, but a fucking colored light bulb in the lamp on your own front porch is cause for doxxing, vandalism, and in some cases, firing/career damage.

    That’s all kinds of fucked up, if one stops to think about it.






    Totem, I couldn't agree more with this ^^^^^^. The current state of affairs resembles a very.....VERY.....bad movie.
    "We are the domestic pets of a human zoo we call civilization."

    Laurence Gonzales - "Deep Survival."

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